25 December 2002 - 00:42

I've spent a very peaceful break at home so far. Extremely quiet. Perhaps too quiet, but quiet is quite preferable to stress.

Now it is Christmas, or Christmas eve, depending on your time zone and how literal you are.

We have baked cookies, decorated the tree, listened to Christmas music, and watched our favorite Christmas shows (most of them involving Muppets^tm).

I've gotten two magical presents from the universe so far, over the past week or so, plus something nice from myself;

• My first truly, amazingly lucid dream. Fantastic.

• Snow softly falling all day until it blanketed everything.

• Really solid scores on the GRE biology exam, accurately highlighting my strengths (evolutionary/ecology) and my weaknesses (cell/genetics).

I have had my traditional Christmas eve exchange of text with Platypus, albeit fairly briefly. Soon I will be able to sleep.

Tomorrow there will be family, presents, food, and music (valued in about that order).

In other news, I found a very entertaining on-line game that I know some certain people here will really appreciate. If your computer can handle Javascript, head to www.nationstates.net and create your own little country, to rule as you please. Give it a name, a flag, a motto, an animal, and a unit of currency. Choose your political style; make policy decisions every day or thereabouts ... gain influence with the UN and kick some international booty. Low key enough for me, but amusing none the less.

My own predictable little land is known as Elytria.

Happy holidays, all.